Tendael Dawnlight II
Tendael Setrien Dawnlight II, or Setrien, is the only son of Tendael Dawnlight and current Grand Commander of the Fireborne. History Born to the noble House Dawnlight, Setrien was raised with high expectations from his father. As a boy, Setrien was reserved and had difficulty making friends. He trained briefly in multiple paths of war, including sorcery, archery, swordsmanship. Although he excelled at none of them, he showed interest in becoming a ranger, enough to convince his father to enlist him at the Farstrider Academy. Setrien's training at the academy shaped him into a disciplined soldier, unlocking new sets of skills and expertise. Perhaps the most distinct change in Setrien was his impressive level of observation. Yet, in spite of his improvements, Setrien demonstrated poor teamwork abilities when forced to work in groups. Nevertheless, he eventually graduated and was assigned to patrol the forests of Eversong. While serving the Farstriders, a romance blossomed between Setrien and a woman in his squad named Valiel Goldenleaf. The two dated for a while, enjoying the company of each other as they kept vigil over Eversong Woods. Eventually, however, their relationship began to wane once Setrien was pressed to decide between his girlfriend and his career. In the end, he chose the latter, breaking up with Valiel on one somber summer night. It was only a few months later that Arthas Menethil invaded Quel'Thalas with the Scourge, ravaging the countryside and slaughtering the high elf population in droves. Setrien's captain was slain very early in the onset, leaving his squad in disarray. Setrien's first thought was to find Valiel. Unfortunately, he was too late. When he found her, she was on the brink of death. In her last moments she confessed that she still loved him, wracking his heart with guilt. After she passed away, he burned her body to keep the undead from reanimating her. By then, the Scourge had reached the Sunwell, forcing Setrien and the rest of his surviving kin to go into hiding. When Arthas departed from Quel'Thalas with the resurrected Kel'Thuzad, he left behind a detachment of his Scourge to keep the remaining elves subdued. Setrien was among many who banded together to reclaim Silvermoon and drive the Scourge back. The work, though long and arduous, was eventually completed. When Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider selected his elite forces to aid the Alliance in the south, Setrien was not among them. He spent the next few years in Quel'Thalas helping fight off the seemingly endless tide of undead. Stability in the kingdom was eventually found once again, but Setrien would never be the same. Even when the Lich King was finally vanquished at the end of the war in Northrend, his mind remained battered from the death of Valiel and mass genocide of his people. A few years later, Setrien was shocked to receive news of his father's death. Searching for answers, he left the Farstriders and ventured into the world on his own. For several months, no one knew of his whereabouts. Then, one day, Setrien reappeared and announced his intention to succeed his father and become the next Sovereign of the Dominion of the Sun. This announcement came as a surprise to the members of the Dominion, especially considering Setrien had no experience leading. Coincidentally, it was around this time that Volanaro Ael'aran resigned from the position of Sovereign, leaving a void in the leadership of the organization. Colius Thalaron, acting at the behest of the Dominion Eminency, decided to allow Setrien to prove his eligibility in a trial by fire. He was granted temporary authority to lead the Dominion forces in an expedition to Outland. Setrien accepted the challenge, and with the full force of the Dominion under his command, he vowed to accomplish the objectives set out for him. Upon arriving at the abandoned Manaforge Ultris in the Netherstorm, the young commander found that the Volanaro had already requested the help of several organizations, including the Hand of Vengeance, Warscar Reach, Undercity Nexus, and Bloodsworn Legion. Despite his inferior notoriety, he was appointed as Force Commander of the coalition, further expanding his responsibility. During one of his discussions with Ivan Felsorrow and Seleste Felsorrow, Setrien discovered that Volanaro had contracted the Hand of Vengeance to produce a biochemical weapon for use against the Alliance. Setrien astonished everyone when he refused to allow the weapon's use, deeming it immoral. This decision disappointed the Dominion superiors, who believed that rejecting the Hand of Vengeance's help only strained relations between the two organizations. Afterwards, Setrien renegotiated the terms of the contract, insisting that the weapon be made non-lethal. On the second day of the campaign, Setrien received word from scouts that the Alliance was moving east across the Bloodmaul Pass, a massive land bridge in Blade's Edge Mountains. Without much time to prepare, he assembled a detachment of the Horde's strongest to travel to the bridge in an effort to halt their advance. The Battle of Bloodmaul Pass lasted nearly an hour and resulted in Horde triumph, granting an enormous boost to the morale of his forces. Setrien returned to Thunderlord Stronghold with his men to celebrate their victory. On the third day of the campaign, scouts reported that remnants of the Alliance maneuvered around the pass and arrived at Toshley's Station. Setrien prepared his forces to attack the station and finish them off, but was forced to postpone the attack due to a surprise ogre raid on the stronghold. The combined Horde forces managed to drive the ogres back, but the battle deprived them of their preemptive advantage against the Alliance. Later that day, Setrien discovered that the Hand of Vengeance had captured one of the Alliance soldiers from the previous battle and were interrogating him in the stronghold's great hall. The prisoner, a High Elf by the name of Tarso Valcari, divulged information on the Alliance's intentions in Outland. After learning of an impending attack on the Horde-controlled manaforge, Ivan and Seleste Felsorrow allowed Setrien to question the prisoner himself. It was from his conversation with Tarso that Setrien became aware of the Westbrook Military Tribunal and his father's fate. Setrien was shocked to learn that leader of the Alliance forces in Outland, Erich Gottfried Manstein, was among the three justices who presided over the tribunal that sentenced his father to life in prison. Setrien made a promise to Tarso that he would personally see Manstein fall, then began to prepare for the defense of the manaforge. The next day, Setrien led his forces back to the Netherstorm, reinforcing the manaforge's defenses as they waited for the impending Alliance attack. Within a few hours, the Alliance launched their assault on the facility from three sides, initiating the Battle of Manaforge Ultris. Horde forces were overwhelmed and forced to fall back, leaving the Alliance an opportunity to push in and temporarily take control. By the time the Horde had regrouped and made their second advance, the Alliance had already made their retreat. After the manaforge was retaken, Ivan Felsorrow shared a report with Setrien, revealing the Alliance's true intentions. It became clear that the attack on the manaforge was only a gambit in Manstein's grand design, which would culminate at Death's Door. The Horde forces pursued the Alliance back to Blade's Edge Mountains, making a final stop at the Mok'Nathal Village to gather reinforcements and prepare for the final battle. Manstein's plans were exposed, and it was now a race against the clock to stop him from opening a demonic portal located at the end of a nearby valley. The portal, dubbed "Death's Door", would be used to summon the two former heroes of the Alliance from the Twisting Nether: Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner. However, Setrien was convinced that Manstein's plan would go awry, and that demons of the Burning Legion would spill from it instead. The Battle of Death's Door took place on the final day of the campaign. After delivering a short speech, Setrien led his forces through a tunnel which brought them to the bottom of the valley. There, they realized that the Alliance were entrenched. Three lines of defense stood between the Horde forces and the portal on the opposite end of the valley. In a heroic charge, the Horde breeched the first line. Setrien then rode forth, along with Ivan Felsorrow and Warlord Grash'gar, to confront Manstein before the second charge. The request for parlay was answered, but Manstein only used it as an opportunity to taunt the Horde and proclaim his quest to be the destiny of the Alliance. Just when Setrien began to realize that Manstein was losing his mind, Alliance ambushed the parlay and captured both him and Ivan Felsorrow. The two were brought back to the portal, forced to watch as the battle raged on under the command of the Warscar's Warbringer Grash'gar. The Alliance slowly began to lose ground, pressuring Manstein to accelerate his plans. He returned to the portal as the rest of the Congregation of the Silver Hand held the line, ordering his sorcerers to expedite the ritual. Setrien watched with grim satisfaction as Manstein began to unravel before his very eyes. With the temporal rift becoming more unstable and the Horde closing in around them, agitation soon spread throughout the remaining Alliance ranks. In the final moments of the calamity, Manstein fell on his sword, interrupting the ritual and compelling the last defenders of the portal to flee. What happened next was quite mystical. Setrien and the Horde forces witnessed Mantein's body levitate before the portal, become bathed in Light, then vanish through the rift just seconds before it disappeared. With the portal closed and the Alliance defeated, Setrien returned with the Horde back to Mok'nathal Village where they celebrated their victory. For their aid in the campaign, Setrien vowed to repay the debt he owed to the other organizations by helping unseat Garrosh, then returned with the Dominion back to Quel'Thalas. A few weeks later, Setrien was invited to attend a summit at Razor Hill for the impending siege of Orgrimmar. With permission granted from the Dominion Eminency, he traveled to Durotar as a representative of the organization. At the summit, Setrien was confronted by Grash'gar. The Warbringer questioned whether or not the Dominion would honor its word and lend support to the approaching conflict. Realizing that he had no authority to speak on behalf of the Eminency without their consent, Setrien reluctantly abstained from committing forces, claiming that he required the title of Sovereign before making such a decision on his own. Although disappointed with his response, Grash'gar acquiesced, allowing Setrien to journey back to Quel'Thalas and discuss the situation with his superiors. When he arrived back in Quel'Thalas, Setrien was appointed Regent-Sovereign while his official ascension remained pending. The question of whether or not the Dominion would send aid to the rebellion was put on the table. After much deliberation, the Eminency finally agreed to send a detachment of forces to battle. Once more, Setrien was granted authority over the Dominion soldiers, another opportunity to prove his leadership. Using portals, he made frequent trips to Razor Hill to meet with rebel leaders and analyze the situation. One of these leaders, a magister by the name of Anetho Dawnpride, entrusted Setrien with a number of secrets gleamed from the Kor'kron. In return, Setrien reaffirmed the Dominion's arrival in the coming days. As preparations were made for war, Setrien continued his training under the tutelage of Colius Thalaron. Before long, the former ranger was able to command the Light to augment his strikes and heal minor wounds. His progress was interrupted, however, when the time finally came for the rebel forces to take action. Deploying a number of siege weapons from Dominion's headquarters, Zenith, Setrien led his forces through Azshara to secure a staging point near the northern gates of Orgrimmar. During the escort, the convoy was ambushed by kaldorei radicals known collectively as the Hand of the Goddess. Nevertheless, Setrien and the Dominion fought off the assailants and made it to the Mountainfoot Strip Mine where they established their base. The first operation conducted against Orgrimmar was to besiege the rear gate with ballistae. The bombardment proved successful, allowing the Dominion to assault the city and deal significant damage to its infrastructure. The progress came to a sudden halt, however, on the nineteenth day of the campaign. The Might of Stormrage, a militant kaldorei faction under the command of Ashamal Shalah'aman, blindsided the Dominion in a fatal ambush which destroyed their siege. Suffering grievous casualties, Setrien and his surviving forces retreated through a portal to Quel'Thalas. With the bitter taste of defeat at the hands of his father's murderer, Setrien vowed to hunt Ashamal to the ends of the world. Months after the siege had ended, Setrien slowly began to lose sight of his dream for a peaceful world. Ashamal's brutal reminder had only been the first of many failed attempts at diplomacy. The most grievous incident occurred in Westfall where Setrien confronted Maxen Montclair for the first time. In effort to disperse a large anomaly known as the Raging Vortex, the Dominion forces established a camp near the Gold Coast where they were closely watched by the First Regiment. When Setrien discovered an abundance of indurium ore in a mine shaft within the valley, he ordered the Dominion to seize it and begin harvesting right away. Unsurprisingly, hostilities erupted between the two factions, aggrandizing the animosity between Setrien and the humans. Description It's never hard to distinguish the ambitious youth from the veterans of war, especially when that youth is the esteemed descendant of a national hero. Like generations before him, Setrien has inherited the traits of a Dawnlight noble: prominent cheekbones, a square jaw line, and piercing eyes that glow with unrelenting determination. With the exception of his golden, spiny hair twisted into a messy foxtail at the back of his head, he appears well-groomed, a true product of his proud lineage. Perhaps the most telling characteristic of the young warrior, however, is his austere countenance. Hardly one to express anything in the way of congeniality, Setrien's reserved demeanor is a telltale sign of the burdens inherited from his late father. Personality Setrien's personality can best be described as taciturn. He is usually serious and direct, not unlike his father. However, whereas his father succeeded as a politician, Setrien lacks the charisma needed to win the hearts and minds those he works with. His austerity is often perceived as arrogant, though he never vaunts his skill or achievements in front of others. Although unsocial, Setrien is focused and determined, putting his responsibilities before all else. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in confidence. He is difficult to intimidate or deceive, and will not hesitate to retaliate when wronged. On the inside, Setrien cares deeply for his family and those close to him. He expresses his love through action, not words or gestures. Much to his detriment, he has a tendency to hold grudges, making him a poor negotiator at the diplomacy table. Philosophy Setrien is not affiliated with any religion. Instead, he chooses to view the Light as a source of power rather than object of worship. Like his father, he believes that one day the enlightened races of Azeroth will obtain peace through the dissemination of magic. This ideal world of magic progressivism resembles the utopian society nearly achieved by the Highborne before their downfall. Possessions *Twinblade - Setrien's primary weapon in battle, this two-pronged blade is a product of the finest elven craftsmanship. When swung at full force, the blade can cut clean through the most armor, but requires significant dexterity to wield. Because of the exertion required to handle the blade, Setrien normally relies on quick and decisive victories. *Longbow - This was Setrien's weapon of choice while serving as a Farstrider. Although his aim is keen, Setrien prefers close-quarters combat, causing him to use this weapon only in special circumstances. Since his promotion to the rank of Grand Commander, he's discarded the longbow in favor of the greatsword. *Boot Knife - When disarmed, Setrien relies on a standard Farstrider knife which he wields with surprising agility. Although not nearly as destructive as his greatsword, the knife can prove effective in dispatching opponents with precision strikes. It remains sheathed on the outside of his boot for quick accessibility. *Centurion Battleplate - This standard suit of armor, crafted for the Dominion Centurion from a special alloy, serves as Setrien's primary protection in battle. It is lightweight and sturdy, allowing him to weave in combat and exploit his natural agility. The armor has been enchanted by Syrinthia Runekeeper, increasing its durability and resistance to magical effects. *Libram - During his service in the Argent Crusade, Setrien's father once kept a libram from which he drew his holy strength. Although Setrien cannot wield the relic in the same way, it remains clasped to his belt as a momento. Strangely enough, it hasn't been opened since he inherited it. A golden gem, symbolic of the Sunwell, adorns the front cover. *Runed Gauntlets - Setrien's gauntlets are inscribed with three distinct runes. Upon the back of his left gauntlet is the rune of discourse which allows him to communicate with the other members of his organization. The left palm and right palm are also inscribed with glyphs, respectively signifying liberty and security. Skills Setrien’s Farstrider training endowed him with a broad range of skills, making him a versatile fighter. Although he demonstrated proficient use of the bow, he prefers melee combat, especially with two-handed weapons. Even in full armor, Setrien is nimble and will gracefully dodge most attacks. In addition to his martial portfolio, Setrien has an elementary understanding of magic, especially with the Light. As a result of Colius Thalaron's tutelage, Setrien's latent energy manifests as holy fire, allowing him to imbue his weapon or cauterize small wounds in battle. The skill can be wielded defensively as well, causing any physical attack to erupt into flames of reprisal. With such a variety of applications, Setrien has gone as far as branding his technique the Searing Light. Setrien's signature spell is Coruscation. With this skill he can temporarily render his opponents sightless with sudden bursts of blinding light. This is especially useful in melee combat, as it grants him an opening to land an attack with his greatsword. Caution must be practiced when using it, however, for it has the potential to cause collateral damage to allies. Relationships Family *Tendael Dawnlight - Setrien's father and role model, this champion of Quel'Thalas perished before he could accomplish his goals. The two had many similarities, the most obvious being their serious attitudes. *Rissade Dawnlight - Setrien's mother and one of the last surviving members of House Dawnlight. She is a strong woman, but Setrien is still quite protective of her. *Avictaria Thel'anos - Setrien's adopted sister. *Maethel Dawnlight - Setrien's sister. *Rinthel Dawnlight - Setrien's sister. Enemies *Ashamal Shalah'aman - This ruthless kaldorei was the one responsible for assassinating Tendael Dawnlight outside the Westbrook courtroom. Setrien confronted Ashamal for the first time in Azshara when the latter assaulted his base. Since then, Setrien has sworn to have his revenge. *Maxen Montclair - The Duke of Westridge was an Alliance commander in the War for Dalaran and also resided as one of the three judges on the Westbrook Military Tribunal along with Ashamal Shalah'aman and Erich Manstein. Setrien despises Maxen for pardoning Ashamal's actions, believing him to be one of the most corrupt figures of the Alliance. *Johannes Moorwhelp - This powerful dwarven Bishop of Stormwind fought the Dominion on several battlefields. Because of the wicked actions of the Dominion's Ashborne division, Moorwhelp has excommunicated the entire organization. According to Tarso Valcari, reconciliation is impossible, forcing Setrien to consider the dwarf a threat to his goals. Category:Characters Category:Blood Elf Category:Dominion of the Sun Category:Farstriders Category:The Fireborne